Tablet purchases suspended

THE NATIONAL Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has suspended purchase plans under the One Tablet Per Child scheme. The move affects not only the current academic year but the previous year as well.

The supplier for one of the four school zones failed to deliver tablet computers last academic year. A new tender process was being arranged by the Education Ministry even though the 2013 academic year was over, but NCPO deputy chief Admiral Narong Pipattanasai suspended the scheme for further review.

"We have to assess whether students have benefited from this scheme," he said on his first day at the Education Ministry.

He said a decision would be made next week on whether the One Tablet Per Child programme should be scrapped. "If it's abandoned, we will reallocate the budget to other educational projects such as the smart-room project," he said.

At a meeting with top education officials yesterday, Narong vowed to find funds quickly to repair and rebuild schools affected by the recent 6.3-magnitude earthquake in Chiang Rai.

He also expressed support for the student-loan project, which would need an additional budget to accommodate new applicants.